50 Day Art Challenge Featuring Each State // It's Complete!

The 50 Day Challenge is finally complete!! To those of you who kept with me the whole time - thank you! Your encouragement kept me going. And to those of you who found Jitney's because of the challenge, thanks for joining us! We're so excited about you! 

Fifty days. Fifty states. Fifty art pieces. The challenge took a little longer than 50 days but I had so much fun! The challenge has certainly molded my skills but also pushed me to try new techniques. I hope I represented your state well! To get a closer look at the pieces, you can find them on our Instagram feed. We've also posted a few of them up in our Etsy shop for purchase.

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We've Been Minted!! // Boat & Buoy Print Up for Sale now

If you're following along with the Scripture Memory / Dwell Richly printable, here's the verse for week 23: 

It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. Jeremiah 17:8b (NIV)


Y'all. Earlier this year, I entered a few designs into the Three Cheers! Minted x West Elm's 3rd Art Challenge. It was my first time submitting any work into Minted but my good friend, Ashley Ottinger, suggested I take the leap and submit a few things. I entered a couple of art pieces, a few handlettered designs and a number of photographs from our travels. 

By the time the deadline hit, there were 5,220 submissions. [Read that number again if you must.] My immediate thought: Well, there goes that. At least I tried. 'A' for effort and 'A' for putting myself out there. Self-doubt, at its finest, my friends. 

A couple of months went by and the email popped up in my inbox. "Challenge Winners."

[Panic Attack]

I started scrolling down then just took the non-anxious way out and hit "ctrl > F > Whitney" (i.e. I searched for my name so that I didn't have to tax myself with not being able to find each entry). And there it was. TWICE!!! 

You have no. idea. how stinkin' excited I was when I saw that TWO of my entries won Minted Editors' Picks. Out of 5,220 submissions!!!! [insert dancing around the house, a mixture of full-blown belly laughter and screaming at the top of my lungs and sore arms from 'raising the roof' way too hard.]  

Full disclosure: I obviously cannot take full credit for these awards. These are absolutely considered Jitney photos. They were both taken during our travels, during adventures that JD and I were able to share. He probably took the same photos on his iPhone but from a different angle. ;) We seriously need to get that man a camera. He'd win all of the challenges. 

One of the entries "Boat & Buoy" was officially launched last night. The other entry "Tidal Pools & Crashing Waves" will launch later this fall. You can purchase the Boat & Buoy print with a frame (take your pick from the lovely ones offered) or unframed from a size of 5" x 7" to 44" x 60". 

Story behind the print: JD and I were driving through the Swiss Alps on an autumn evening in 2012. The sun had set and the rain subsided, only the fog remained. We saw this lone sailboat with a buoy bobbing attached to it and couldn't resist stopping along the road to capture the serenity and mystery of this truly picturesque scene. It's a special piece from our 'Jitney World Exploration Collection', one that is close to our hearts and will forever be engrained in our memory.

P.S. Please know that it took a lot of coercion for me to post about these awards. Thank you to all of my friends who remind me that posting news like this is all about celebrating and that we shouldn't hide the exciting things that God is doing through us and our business! In the words of John F. Kennedy (and echoed to me by Lauren McCaul), "Rising tides lift all boats." 

"Rising tides lift all boats." Quote by John F. Kennedy // via Jitney's Journeys

Handletter Huntsville // A Daily Handlettering Challenge

I started following the @encouragehuntsville's daily handlettering challenge a couple of weeks ago and I'm LOVING it. The challenge has been super fun and I've loved getting to see other creatives in Huntsville put their skills to the test. Watch and follow the progress of the Jitney handlettering process on our Instagram account here

The Earth Laughs in Flowers // Handlettering via Jitney's Journeys
Look Up & Reach High // Handlettering via Jitney's Journeys
Hey, it's okay // Handlettering via Jitney's Journeys
Today was a fairytale // Handlettering via Jitney's Journeys
The Best Time is Now // Handlettering via Jitney's Journeys
Bloom Where You are Planted // Handlettering via Jitney's Journeys
Oh Darling, Let's Be Adventurers // Handlettering via Jitney's Journeys
Here Comes the Sun Handlettering & Handpainted Watercolor /Gouache via Jitney's Journeys